Terrain Trap

Terrain in which the consequences of an avalanche are especially hazardous, such as a gully, an abrupt transition, an avalanche path that terminates in trees, a crevasse field or a cliff.

What will happen if it slides? The consequence of an avalanche is one of the most important factors in judging the danger of avalanche terrain. Bad consequences include trees (the “giant bread slicer”) a large cliff or a terrain trap. A terrain trap is a sharply concave part of the runout such as a gully, an abrupt transition or a crevasse where avalanche debris will pile up deeply. Since shoveling takes such a long time, deep burials have a very low chance of survival. Very few victims live from burials deeper than about 5 feet. Even a small avalanche off the side of a gully can have very deadly consequences.